The present invention is concerned with a method and apparatus for joining together two or more objects, as is often required in cabinet, other furniture and fixture making, solid surface fabrications, and manufacturing in general.
It is often necessary to join two or more objects or pieces together in cabinetry, furniture making, fixture making, solid surface fabrications and the like. This is a common task at a job site during installation. There are many methods of making such joints. The most common method involves first machining and installation of a so-called xe2x80x9cbiscuit splinexe2x80x9d to ensure that front and back movement of two panels being joined is solid. Secondly, a mechanical fastener, such as a tight joint fastener, dog-bone fastener, or draw bolt or the like, is routed into the back surfaces of the panels. A series of such fasteners are spaced apart at approximate intervals of six to twelve inches along the joint. A template is used to rout directly into the panel material. Next, the mechanical fasteners are all tightened as the alignment of the panels is fine tuned. Usually, the mechanical fasteners alone are left to hold the panels together. This means that the fasteners must be installed to a very high torque rating, which can cause panel failure at the route. The fasteners must be permanently installed, and a separate plate is seldom used to bridge and strengthen the joint, due to the added time and expense involved.
There are some inherent problems with this method and other similar methods of joining two items. One major issue is that of health. The routing of the panels to receive the mechanical fasteners produces a large amount of dust. Sawdust or resin dust is an occupational hazard in carpentry and other similar professions, and exposure to such materials should be minimized wherever possible. The time needed to biscuit joint and rout two panels to receive fasteners on site is slow, and creates a significant amount of airborne sawdust or resin dust particles. Routing in the field produces both dust and added noise. If a factory rout is produced, then all possible joints must be accounted for in advance. Some factory made routs will then not be required, and will need to be cut off and discarded at the installation site when the ends do not need to be joined. Thus, there are disadvantages in both on-site and factory made routs. Additionally, the mechanical fasteners are not removable due to the fact that they alone usually hold the joint together. This method of joinery can also not be used on an exposed surface, unless the appearance of the exposed routs and fasteners is not objectionable.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved joint apparatus and method for joining two or more objects or panels.
According to one aspect of the present invention, a joint apparatus for joining two objects with adjacent end faces of the objects in face-to-face engagement is provided, which comprises a first, generally flat plate for securing to a face of one of the objects adjacent the end face to be joined, and a second, generally flat plate for securing to a face of the other object adjacent the end face to be joined, each plate having a side edge for facing the side edge of the other plate when the plates are secured to the respective objects, each side edge having at least one inwardly directed recess and at least one outwardly projecting tongue, the tongue in the first plate being positioned for mating engagement in the recess in the second plate and the tongue in the second plate being positioned for mating engagement in the recess in the first plate when the plates are secured to the objects and the end faces of the objects are placed together.
Once the tongues and recesses are engaged, each tongue may be suitably secured to the underlying surface of the other object in order to secure the joint, so that each plate will be secured to both objects. Mechanical fasteners may be used to temporarily clamp the plates together while the tongues are secured. In one example, each side edge may have a fastener receiving indent located between the adjacent tongue and recess for alignment with a corresponding fastener receiving indent in the side edge of the other plate. Suitable fasteners may be placed in each aligned pair of indents for clamping the two plates, and the objects to which they are secured, together. Alternatively, suitable clamping devices may be mounted on top of the two plates adjacent the end faces to be joined, such as sash lock type fasteners, or the plates may have aligned, upstanding ears or tabs through which nut and bolt or other fasteners extend in order to hold the plates together.
The plates are each secured to a face of the respective object to be joined, adjacent and perpendicular to the end face of the object which is to be pulled into face-to-face engagement with the end face of the other object, with the tongues projecting outwardly from the end face. The two objects can then be brought together such that the tongue engages in the respective recess of the other plate. Suitable fasteners can be placed in aligned pairs of fastener receiving indents or routs, and tightened to pull the joint together. In an exemplary embodiment, each tongue has an opening for receiving a fastener for securing each plate to the other half or object of the joint. Each plate also may have spaced openings for receiving fastener screws or the like for securing the plate to the object at the desired location. Alternatively, the plate may be secured to the respective objects by suction cups, adhesive, or other fasteners.
The two plates making up the joint apparatus may be made of any suitable material such as wood or other wood-based products, metal plate or other sheet material, such as hard plastic, or synthetic materials such as resin-based solid surfacing materials, for example Corian(copyright). The plates may be used to join objects such as panels, tables, shelving, cabinets, or the like, which may be of wood, synthetic material, metal or the like. The plates may be joined to the respective substrates of the objects to be joined by any suitable means, such as mechanical fasteners, nails, staples, or with adhesives to bond to the substrate. The clamping devices may be removed when the plates are completely secured to the two objects.
Each plate may have only a single tongue and adjacent recess, or the plates may be elongate and have a series of alternating tongues and recesses along one side edge for engagement in corresponding recesses and tongues, respectively, in the other plate. Where the plates are of thin sheet material such as sheet metal, plastic, or the like, it can be difficult to provide sufficient space for engagement between each plate and the clamping devices for securing the plates together while they are fastened to the respective objects. In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, a clamping device is provided which comprises a clamping bolt having a head and a threaded shaft, a first shoe or clamping jaw threadably engaged on the shaft, and a second shoe or clamping jaw slidably engaged on the shaft between the first shoe and head of the bolt. Each plate has a fastener receiving indent, and each shoe has a lip or rim along one edge for engaging in the respective indent with the bolt spaced above the plate. This allows the two plates to be drawn together and tightened while reducing the risk of the jaws or shoes slipping out of engagement with the respective indents. The plates may each have an opening or slot located between the respective tongue and recess, with a straight edge under which the lip or rim of the respective shoe is designed to engage.
The apparatus of this invention is portable, dust-free, and self-aligning, decreasing the labor time and expense of joining two objects. It avoids the need for on-site routing of panels or faces of objects to be joined, since all necessary routs are pre-formed in the joint plates. This avoids marring of the faces and also eliminates hazardous dust which is produced in such routing. It also eliminates the need for custom machining or routing of panels either in the factory or on site. Instead, a plurality of joint strips or plates can simply be purchased off-the-shelf for suitable installation wherever a joint is needed.
According to another aspect of the present invention, a clamping device for securing two items together is provided, which comprises a bolt having a head and a threaded shaft with an outer free end, a first shoe threadably engaged on the shaft and a second shoe slidably mounted on the shaft between the first shoe and head of the bolt, each shoe comprising a generally flat rectangular block having an upper edge and a lower edge, and an inturned lip extending along the lower edge of the shoe and facing towards the lip of the other shoe, whereby each lip can be engaged under a recess in a respective item with the remainder of the shoe and the bolt located above the item, whereby tightening of the bolt onto the first shoe will draw two items with which the shoes are engaged together.
In the case of two flat plates to be connected together, each plate may have an opening with a straight edge for receiving a respective one of the shoes, and, once the shoes are engaged in the openings with the plates positioned adjacent one another, the bolt can be tightened to draw the plates together. This arrangement is an improvement over clamping bolts with spaced flat clamping plates, particularly where there is little space to engage the plates with two items to be secured.
According to another aspect of the present invention, a method of joining two objects with end faces of the objects in face-to-face engagement is provided, which comprises the steps of:
taking first and second generally flat joint plates each having a side edge having at least one tongue and at least one recess;
securing the first joint plate to a face of a first object adjacent an end face to be placed face-to-face with an end face of a second object, such that the side edge faces outwardly and the tongue projects outwardly from the end face in a direction perpendicular to the end face;
securing the second joint plate to a face of a second object adjacent an end face to be placed face-to-face with an end face of the first object, such that the side edge faces outwardly and the tongue projects outwardly from the end face in a direction perpendicular to the end face;
bringing the two objects towards each another with their end faces facing one another such that the tongue on the first plate enters the aligned recess in the second plate and the tongue on the second plate enters the aligned recess in the first plate, and
securing the tongue on the first plate to an underlying surface portion of the second object and securing the tongue on the second plate to an underlying surface portion of the first object;
whereby the two objects are aligned and secured together at the joint formed by the two plates.
In an exemplary method, each plate has a series of at least one fastener receiving indent or rout along its side edge, with the indent located between the tongue and recess, and the fastener receiving indent in the side edge of the first plate are aligned with a corresponding fastener receiving indent on the side edge of the second plate. A first half of a fastener is then placed in the fastener receiving indent on the first plate and a second half of the fastener is placed in the fastener receiving indent on the second plate, with the first and second halves of each fastener in loose engagement; and the fastener is then tightened to draw the two plates together and bring the end faces into face-to-face engagement at the joint.
In an alternative method, two halves of a fastener such as a sash-lock type fastener are secured at spaced intervals on top of the respective plates, and the sash-lock fasteners are secured together to clamp the two plates in position while the tongues are secured to the underlying surface of the two objects to be joined. In another alternative, the plates are provided with a series of aligned, upstanding tabs with fastener openings, and the plates may be secured together by extending bolts through the aligned tabs, and tightening nuts over the projecting ends of the bolts.
The fasteners may be removed after the plates are each secured to both objects, since they will no longer be needed to hold the joint together. The plates may be permanently or temporarily secured in place, depending on whether a permanent or temporary joint is required between the two objects. In one embodiment, the joint apparatus may be used to join two banquet tables together temporarily. In this case, each plate is slidably mounted on a respective table end, and may be moved between a retracted position in which the tongues are hidden, and an extended position in which the tongues project outwardly from the table end for engagement in aligned recesses in the plate mounted on another table end. The two plates may be releasably secured together by sash-lock fasteners or the like.
The method and apparatus of this invention may be used to secure two or more objects together quickly and easily, without requiring any machining or routing of the objects themselves prior to making the joint. The tongue and recess engagement between the two plates ensures proper alignment of the objects to be joined.
The clamping device of this invention may be used to hold the two plates of the joint apparatus together more readily. This device is particularly useful where the joint plates are of relatively thin material.